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Norscia I, Hecker M, Aldama BG, Santos SB, Cordoni G. Play contagion in African elephants: The closest, the better. Behav Processes 2024; 221:105092. [PMID: 39209084 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2024] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Behavioural contagion is an automatic process through which a behaviour performed by an individual (trigger) is reproduced by an observer (responder) without necessarily replicating the exact motor sequence. It has been linked to inter-individual synchronisation and possibly emotional contagion. Play can convey emotions and enhance social bonding, although its contagiousness is understudied. To verify social play contagion presence and modulating factors, we gathered audio-video data on social play, distance and affiliation on a group of savannah African elephants (15 individuals) at Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabarceno (Cantabria, Spain). Social play was contagious as it was more likely started by uninvolved elephants (within 3-min) in Post-Play Condition (PP) - after that other elephants had started playing - than in Matched-control Condition (MC; no previous play). Social play contagion mostly occurred within 30 m - probably due to elephants' limited visual acuity - and it was highest between individuals that affiliated the most, with the distance-affiliation interaction having no effect. The most prominent individuals in the social play network were also the most influential in the play contagion network (Eigenvector-centrality measure). Play contagion was socially modulated, thus suggesting it may extend from motor replication to the replication of the underlying affective state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Norscia
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Italy.
| | - Martin Hecker
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Italy
| | | | | | - Giada Cordoni
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Italy.
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2
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Achterberg EJM, Vanderschuren LJMJ. The neurobiology of social play behaviour: Past, present and future. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105319. [PMID: 37454882 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Social play behaviour is a highly energetic and rewarding activity that is of great importance for the development of brain and behaviour. Social play is abundant during the juvenile and early adolescent phases of life, and it occurs in most mammalian species, as well as in certain birds and reptiles. To date, the majority of research into the neural mechanisms of social play behaviour has been performed in male rats. In the present review we summarize studies on the neurobiology of social play behaviour in rats, including work on pharmacological and genetic models for autism spectrum disorders, early life manipulations and environmental factors that influence play in rats. We describe several recent developments that expand the field, and highlight outstanding questions that may guide future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J Marijke Achterberg
- Dept. of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3584 CM Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Louk J M J Vanderschuren
- Dept. of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3584 CM Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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3
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Burke CJ, Modlinska K, Mauro MH, Aleksandrova LR, Pellis SM, Phillips AG, Euston DR. A naturalistic method to test depression: Anticipation of play. Behav Brain Res 2020; 398:112975. [PMID: 33141076 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 10/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat was developed as a control for the spontaneous hypertensive rat but has subsequently also been used as a genetic animal model of depression due to its hyper-responsiveness to stress. We used anticipation of social reward (i.e., a play partner) to assess behavioural and vocal differences between the WKY and normal Wistar (WI) rats in the juvenile period. We found marked differences between groups; the WKY rats, were less active, vocalized less, and used significantly fewer types of 50-kHz calls in comparison to their WI counterparts. The animals were re-tested in adulthood and the same differences existed in overall activity, types of vocalizations and the behavioural vocal profiles used by the two groups of animals. These findings provide a robust baseline for an animal model of depression using a social paradigm. This paradigm may be useful to evaluate the efficacy of pharmaceutical interventions as potential treatments of depression in WKY rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candace J Burke
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
| | - Klaudia Modlinska
- Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 1 Jaracza St., 00-378 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Madison H Mauro
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Lily R Aleksandrova
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Sergio M Pellis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Anthony G Phillips
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - David R Euston
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
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Holman PJ, Baglot SL, Morgan E, Weinberg J. Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on social competence: Asymmetry in play partner preference among heterogeneous triads of male and female rats. Dev Psychobiol 2019; 61:513-524. [PMID: 30843198 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Social behavior deficits associated with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) are frequently described in terms of impaired social competence, which can be defined as the effectiveness in social interaction and the ability to employ social skills successfully within different interpersonal contexts. Play behavior-which peaks during adolescence-is critical for developing social competence, as well as for motor, cognitive, and emotional development. Studies of play behavior typically utilize protocols where animals interact in dyads. However, less is understood about how the social environment may shape PAE-related social behavior deficits, particularly in more complex social contexts. Here, we assess play partner preference utilizing a novel approach in which adolescent male and female animals interact within same-sex triads comprised of animals from mixed prenatal treatments to determine how play partner identity and social group composition interact to shape behavior. When triads included one PAE animal and two control animals (i.e., control animals had the option to play either with a fellow control or a PAE playmate), we observed play target asymmetry whereby controls preferentially played with fellow controls. Notably, these results were consistent for triads of both males and females, with subtle differences in frequency of initiations versus reciprocations. We found no play target asymmetry, however, when triads included two PAE animals and one control animal or different configurations of control and pair-fed animals. Taken together, play target asymmetry resulting from ineffective social interactions, including a failure to engage with, respond to, and/or solicit play from control play partners appropriately, suggests that PAE negatively impacts the development of social competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parker J Holman
- Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Samantha L Baglot
- Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Erin Morgan
- Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Joanne Weinberg
- Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Wright KR, Mayhew JA, Sheeran LK, Funkhouser JA, Wagner RS, Sun LX, Li JH. Playing it cool: Characterizing social play, bout termination, and candidate play signals of juvenile and infant Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana). Zool Res 2018; 39:272-283. [PMID: 29766979 PMCID: PMC5968856 DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2018.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Play behaviors and signals during playful interactions with juvenile conspecifics are important for both the social and cognitive development of young animals. The social organization of a species can also influence juvenile social play. We examined the relationships among play behaviors, candidate play signals, and play bout termination in Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) during juvenile and infant social play to characterize the species play style. As Tibetan macaques are despotic and live in groups with strict linear dominance hierarchies and infrequent reconciliation, we predicted that play would be at risk of misinterpretation by both the individuals engaged in the play bout and by those watching, possibly leading to injury of the players. Animals living in such societies might need to frequently and clearly signal playful intent to play partners and other group members to avoid aggressive outcomes. We gathered video data on 21 individually-identified juvenile and infant macaques (one month to five years of age) from the Valley of the Wild Monkeys, Mt. Huangshan, China. We used all-occurrence sampling to record play behaviors and candidate play signals based on an ethogram. We predicted that play groups would use multiple candidate play signals in a variety of contexts and in association with the number of audience members in proximity to the players and play bout length. In the 283 playful interactions we scored, juvenile and infant macaques used multiple body and facial candidate play signals. Our data showed that juvenile and infant Tibetan macaques use a versatile repertoire of play behaviors and signals to sustain play.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlin R Wright
- Primate Behavior and Ecology Program, Central Washington University, WA 98926, USA
| | - Jessica A Mayhew
- Primate Behavior and Ecology Program, Central Washington University, WA 98926, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Central Washington University, WA 98926, USA
| | - Lori K Sheeran
- Primate Behavior and Ecology Program, Central Washington University, WA 98926, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Central Washington University, WA 98926, USA
| | - Jake A Funkhouser
- Primate Behavior and Ecology Program, Central Washington University, WA 98926, USA
| | - Ronald S Wagner
- Primate Behavior and Ecology Program, Central Washington University, WA 98926, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Central Washington University, WA 98926, USA
| | - Li-Xing Sun
- Primate Behavior and Ecology Program, Central Washington University, WA 98926, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Central Washington University, WA 98926, USA
| | - Jin-Hua Li
- School of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University Hefei Anhui 230601, China; E-mail:
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Schriber RA, Guyer AE. Adolescent neurobiological susceptibility to social context. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2016; 19:1-18. [PMID: 26773514 PMCID: PMC4912893 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2015.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2014] [Revised: 11/18/2015] [Accepted: 12/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence has been characterized as a period of heightened sensitivity to social contexts. However, adolescents vary in how their social contexts affect them. According to neurobiological susceptibility models, endogenous, biological factors confer some individuals, relative to others, with greater susceptibility to environmental influences, whereby more susceptible individuals fare the best or worst of all individuals, depending on the environment encountered (e.g., high vs. low parental warmth). Until recently, research guided by these theoretical frameworks has not incorporated direct measures of brain structure or function to index this sensitivity. Drawing on prevailing models of adolescent neurodevelopment and a growing number of neuroimaging studies on the interrelations among social contexts, the brain, and developmental outcomes, we review research that supports the idea of adolescent neurobiological susceptibility to social context for understanding why and how adolescents differ in development and well-being. We propose that adolescent development is shaped by brain-based individual differences in sensitivity to social contexts - be they positive or negative - such as those created through relationships with parents/caregivers and peers. Ultimately, we recommend that future research measure brain function and structure to operationalize susceptibility factors that moderate the influence of social contexts on developmental outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta A Schriber
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, California, United States.
| | - Amanda E Guyer
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, California, United States; Department of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, United States.
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Madden AMK, Zup SL. Effects of developmental hyperserotonemia on juvenile play behavior, oxytocin and serotonin receptor expression in the hypothalamus are age and sex dependent. Physiol Behav 2014; 128:260-9. [PMID: 24530263 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.01.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2013] [Revised: 12/11/2013] [Accepted: 01/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
There is a striking sex difference in the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), such that males are diagnosed more often than females, usually in early childhood. Given that recent research has implicated elevated blood serotonin (hyperserotonemia) in perinatal development as a potential factor in the pathogenesis of ASD, we sought to evaluate the effects of developmental hyperserotonemia on social behavior and relevant brain morphology in juvenile males and females. Administration of 5-methoxytryptamine (5-MT) both pre- and postnatally was found to disrupt normal social play behavior in juveniles. In addition, alterations in the number of oxytocinergic cells in the lateral and medial paraventricular nucleus (PVN) were evident on postnatal day 18 (PND18) in 5-MT treated females, but not treated males. 5-MT treatment also changed the relative expression of 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(2A) receptors in the PVN, in males at PND10 and in females at PND18. These data suggest that serotonin plays an organizing role in the development of the PVN in a sexually dimorphic fashion, and that elevated serotonin levels during perinatal development may disrupt normal organization, leading to neurochemical and behavioral changes. Importantly, these data also suggest that the inclusion of both juvenile males and females in studies will be necessary to fully understand the role of serotonin in development, especially in relation to ASD.
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MESH Headings
- Age Factors
- Animals
- Behavior, Animal/physiology
- Female
- Hypothalamus/drug effects
- Hypothalamus/metabolism
- Hypothalamus/physiology
- Male
- Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus/drug effects
- Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus/metabolism
- Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus/physiology
- Play and Playthings
- Rats
- Rats, Sprague-Dawley/growth & development
- Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A/biosynthesis
- Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A/physiology
- Receptors, Oxytocin/biosynthesis
- Receptors, Oxytocin/physiology
- Receptors, Serotonin/biosynthesis
- Receptors, Serotonin/physiology
- Serotonin/blood
- Serotonin/pharmacology
- Sex Factors
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M K Madden
- Graduate Program in Developmental and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA; Psychology Department, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA
| | - Susan L Zup
- Graduate Program in Developmental and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA; Psychology Department, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA.
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8
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van Kerkhof LWM, Damsteegt R, Trezza V, Voorn P, Vanderschuren LJMJ. Functional integrity of the habenula is necessary for social play behaviour in rats. Eur J Neurosci 2013; 38:3465-75. [PMID: 24103016 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2013] [Accepted: 08/08/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
During post-weaning development, a marked increase in peer-peer interactions is observed in mammals, including humans, which is signified by the abundance of social play behaviour. Social play is highly rewarding, and known to be modulated through monoaminergic neurotransmission. Recently, the habenula has received widespread attention because of its role in the regulation of monoaminergic neurotransmission as well as in a variety of emotional and cognitive functions. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the involvement of the habenula in social play behaviour. Using the neuronal activity maker c-fos, we showed that the habenula was activated after 24 h of social isolation in adolescent rats, and that a subsequent social play interaction reduced c-fos activity in the medial part of the lateral habenula. This suggested that habenula activity modulated the aversive properties of social isolation, which was alleviated by the positive effects of social play. Furthermore, after functional inactivation of the habenula, using a mixture of the GABA receptor agonists baclofen and muscimol, social play behaviour was markedly reduced, whereby responsiveness to play solicitation was more sensitive to habenula inactivation than play solicitation itself. Together, our data indicate an important role for the habenula in the processing of positive (i.e., social play behaviour) and negative (i.e., social isolation) social information in adolescent rats. Altered habenula function might therefore be related to the social impairments in childhood and adolescent psychiatric disorders such as autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and early-onset schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda W M van Kerkhof
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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9
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Cellular activation in limbic brain systems during social play behaviour in rats. Brain Struct Funct 2013; 219:1181-211. [PMID: 23670540 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-013-0558-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2012] [Accepted: 04/17/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Positive social interactions during the juvenile and adolescent phases of life are essential for proper social and cognitive development in mammals, including humans. During this developmental period, there is a marked increase in peer-peer interactions, signified by the abundance of social play behaviour. Despite its importance for behavioural development, our knowledge of the neural underpinnings of social play behaviour is limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to map the neural circuits involved in social play behaviour in rats. This was achieved by examining cellular activity after social play using the immediate early gene c-Fos as a marker. After a session of social play behaviour, pronounced increases in c-Fos expression were observed in the medial prefrontal cortex, medial and ventral orbitofrontal cortex, dorsal striatum, nucleus accumbens core and shell, lateral amygdala, several thalamic nuclei, dorsal raphe and the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus. Importantly, the cellular activity patterns after social play were topographically organized in this network, as indicated by play-specific correlations in c-Fos activity between regions with known direct connections. These correlations suggest involvement in social play behaviour of the projections from the medial prefrontal cortex to the striatum, and of amygdala and monoaminergic inputs to frontal cortex and striatum. The analyses presented here outline a topographically organized neural network implicated in processes such as reward, motivation and cognitive control over behaviour, which mediates social play behaviour in rats.
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